Originally posted by Marvin49:
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2) Scheme: So that last line about Kap takes me into what I think a big part of the problem is, and why there needs to be a change.
Harbaugh had a reputation coming in that he could mold QBs. He's done it with Josh Johnson and Andrew Luck. While here he did the same with Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. It all started tho with a BYU transfer to USD named Todd Mortensen. Why do I bring this up? Something I read WAY back when Harbaugh was hired has stuck with me these last 4 years and it was just screaming loudly in my skull yesterday.
Here is one of the articles written back then.
http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/harbaughs-first-quarterback-says-the-offense-is-the-key/
Harbaughs offense is QB friendly (as in, makes playing QB easier). That's one of the big reasons every QB who has run it has had success. It is based on the idea that you can make playing QB easier by making the decisions more clear cut. More defined throws. How do you do that? Through numerous personal packages, lots of motion, and waiting until the last second to snap the ball to force defenses to declare. This allows the QB to know where he's going to go with the ball BEFORE THE SNAP. To further clarify the read and open space, play action off a strong, inventive run game that keep people guessing forces defenses to keep extra men in the box and play on their heels
One of the criticisms of Kap is that he sticks to his presnap read. Well, there is a reason. That's what he's been trained to do. The throw to Crab on 3rd and long that got converted yesterday was a good example. Crab was the only target in the pattern and everyone else was just there to block. The problem here though is multiple.
First, defenses now know all this. They know that they can't declare their intentions until AFTER the snap or JUST before. You will at times see safeties bail out LATE on the play clock. This is why. This is also why you see Kap married to his presnap read and nearly fall into a trap when the coverage changes POST snap.
Second, since there are no hot routes and little post snap decision making, the routes themselves while SOMETIMES creative, are usually really basic.
Third, when the run game struggles and you use less play action (ALOT less this year) it means there is less space because they don't respect the run as much as they did. Those teams have seen all the runs now and are no longer playing on their heels. They are playing downhill. Bruce Miller alluded to this last week when he said that defenses aren't responding to plays the way they expect them to...the run AND pass schemes have been figured out and Harbaugh/Roman aren't able to counter.
I want to be very clear...I'm not trying to scapegoat Kap here. He's played HORRIBLY over the last 2 weeks. What I'm saying though is that the problem goes FAR deeper than Kap and IMO won't get better unless a change is made in the offensive system.
Does this mean if you run a more conventional offense that Kap will immediately start playing like an all-pro? Not by a longshot. What it does mean though is that we don't know what he can do till he is asked to play more conventionally....
Marvin,
Great insight. Yeah a lot of us have been discussing the offensive schemes and your comments give more confirmation. It seems that most reads are pre-snap and there are very few progressions if any at all. Was it NCommand that spoke about automatic reads or ARs last year. It was funny when Dilfer bashed Kap last year about progressions and Kap snapped back "He should know what my progressions are before making those comments"... funny thing is that statement could be interpreted a few ways, but it probably meant there ARE NO progressions. Lol.
There was an article written about Harbaugh & Alex Smith which probably remains accurate today:
http://grantland.com/features/quarterbacking-made-simple/
49ers use no sight adjustments. It's pretty evident. The terrible thing is that there really aren't good hot routes built into the route design most of the time and that's why Kap gets sacked.
This is one of the most telling quotes from Alex Smith about the Superbowl ending:
Smith said the offensive line and running backs are still frustrated they weren't given the chance to win the game.
And he's still perplexed by the play-calling.
"On the last play I was on the sideline screaming for a timeout because we had called a play that had no pressure answer," Smith said. "Colin (Kaepernick) did the best he could with the signal and the throw. I'm sure if the coaches had it to do over again they'd call something with a better pressure answer."
http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/Kansas-City-puts-smile-on-Alex-Smith-s-face-4891283.php
This is our coaching staff... and it hasn't changed much since the Superbowl ... it may have gotten worse. And I have to keep reminding people that Roman's only experience as offensive coordinator was at Holy Trinity High School in 2008. That's got to make you question Roman's abilities much less Harbaugh's judgement.
But ultimately the offensive design and simplifying of the QB position is all on Harbaugh.. .. The crazy theory I have is that Harbaugh never got over Ditka's ripping him apart for an audible Harbaugh made that resulted in a pick six against Minnesota many years ago... that was the most traumatic experience of Harbaugh's career..... Ditka was fired that year and blames Harbaugh and that game for his demise.. Ditka said he'd never let a QB think he's smarter than the coach.... the unfortunate thing is Harbaugh may have taken that traumatic experience as a lesson to incorporate Ditka's controlling philosophy in his future offenses... never really giving any leeway or discretion to the QB so that they won't make the same mistake Harbaugh made years ago....
